Umbrella attachment.



J J. KIRBY. UMBRELLA ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.26, I913- lmwwe Patent-ed May18,1915.

' wi/bmeooeo THE NORRIS PETERS 50., FHOTG-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. c,

JAMES J. KIRBY, OF BOONE, IOWA.

UMBRELLA ATTACHMENT.

Application filed March 26, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES J. KIRBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boone, in the county of Boone and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Umbrella Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improved notch and runner for umbrellas, the invention residing particularly in a means connected to the notch or runner for securing the ribs or stretchers thereto.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a means in part formed integral with and in part carried by the notch or runner for providing for the connection of the ribs or stretchers thereto to permit the full necessary movement of said ribs or stretchers and thereby avoid the strain and consequent breakage of parts incident to the usual means of attaching these parts in place.

The invention in its preferred form of details will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved runner. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the runner with the holding cap omitted. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the notch constructed in accordance with the present improvement.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawings, the improved runner comprises a cylindrical tube like structure 1 of a size to slidably fit the umbrella rod in the usual manner, the tube section thus provided being formed with the usual catch receiving slot or aperture 2 and being reinforced at the lower ends as at 3 in the usual manner. Adjacent the upper end of the tube section is provided an annular flange 4c projecting at right angles to the section and having an upturned marginal edge 5. The surface of the tube section immediately above the flange i is formed to provide a rounded depression 6, above and below which depression it is of course to be understood that the tube section is of practically uniform diameter.

In conjunction with the tube section I use what I call a retaining cap 7 the wall of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Serial No. 756,972.

which is rounded upwardly. Exterior diameter of the maximum opening 8 of the cap corresponds to the maximum diameter of theflange 4:, while the diameter of the upper or maximum opening 9 of the cap corresponds to the exterior diameter of the tube section. The Wall of the cap is formed with a series of slots 10 opening through the lower edge, said slots having a width slightly exceeding the diameter of the stretchers 11.

In assembling the parts the stretchers are passed through the slots 10 of the cap so that the balls 12 carried by the inner end of the stretchers rest within the cap in rear of the wall thereof. The cap and connected stretchers are then passed over the upper end of the tube section until the lower edge at the maximum opening of the cap rests upon the flange 4 immediately within the upturned edge 5. In this position the balls 12 will be held between the wall of the cap and the surface of the tube section, operating in effect within the rounded depression, 6 formed in the said section. As thus applied, the upper edge of the cap is slightly below the upper edge of the tube section, and the upper edge of the section is subsequently spun or otherwise expanded as at 13, to secure the cap in place.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the improvement as applied to a notch in which the construction is exactly the same to that previously described except that the tube section 1 1 is of materially less length than the tube section of the runner, while the cap 15 is secured upon the lower end of the notch, the cap fitting on the flange 16 in rear of the downturned edge 17 thereof as shown, the extreme lower edge of the tube section 14 being spun or otherwise expanded as at 18. The ribs 19 terminally provided with balls 20 are connected in the same manner as described in connection with the runner construction, it being understood that the depression 6 of the runner is duplicated in the notch, though not illustrated.

The invention provides a means for eftively connecting the ribs and stretchers in place in a manner that will permit the renewal of any rib or stretcher and at the same time permit the necessary movement of the ribs or stretchers in use without undue strain upon any part. Furthermore the structure is essentially substantial and hence the life of these portions of the umbrella is materially increased as compared With the usual construction for the purpose.

What is claimed is An umbrella attachment, comprising a tube having a relatively shallow circumferential groove, a flange located at one side of the groove and having an upstruck peripheral portion, an upstruck portion on the tube at the other side of the groove, a concavo-conveX cap embracing the tube and confined thereto by the mentioned first and G'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

second upstruck portions, the cap having slots therein disposed opposite the groove of the tube, and ribs freely movable in the slots 15 and provided With spherical inner terminals interposed between the cap and the groove and bearing against the Walls of the latter.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

JAMES J. KIRBY. Witnesses KARL BURRIs, EDWARD T. BEISER.

Washington, D. G. 

